


Feels Right to Be Here With You

by happyendingexo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, HEA_2017, M/M, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 07:50:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13806771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyendingexo/pseuds/happyendingexo
Summary: "You fell asleep and I started making funny faces at your kid to keep them amused."





	Feels Right to Be Here With You

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #150**
> 
> **Disclaimer:** The is a work of fiction. The names and images of the celebrities mentioned are borrowed and is not meant to represent the celebrities themselves. All original characters and plot belong to the author and is not to be reproduced and/or shared without written permission from the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  **Author's Note:** > I strayed from the prompt a tiny so please forgive me!

Chanyeol doesn’t usually mind trains. They are fast and they get him where he needs to go. Plus, they are way cheaper than taking a taxi every day. Unfortunately, trains aren’t the best place to be when you’re lugging around a giant guitar case. He has no choice but to carry it after a gig he played tonight.

 

Being over six feet tall with his lanky frame has made him a bit clumsy. Adding a heavy object like a guitar to the picture is basically a set up for failure as he tries to maneuver his uncoordinated limbs through the train’s narrow aisle.

 

Chanyeol can only apologize as he constantly bumps into innocent passengers. After some pissed off mumbled curses and a few glares, he is able to find a spot in a four person section. Two of the seats are already occupied but Chanyeol does not mind sharing the space.He has always been the social type or ‘obnoxiously outgoing’ as his best friend Kyungsoo has so lovingly put it.

 

As he settles himself into his comfy seat, placing his guitar in the area beside him, he takes notice of the people sitting across from him. The first person, who is seated closer to the aisle, has his body slumped into a position that looks terribly uncomfortable as he lightly snores away. Chanyeol can’t help but be amazed someone can actually sleep in such a noisy environment.

 

There is a small hand gripping the man’s jacket, which brings Chanyeol’s attention to a small girl with a teddy bear in her other hand. She looks at him with big curious eyes, cocking her head to the side, swishing her ponytail as she does so. It is such a simple action but manages to have Chanyeol, a grown man at the age of twenty six, cooing at the sight.

 

Chanyeol loves children but the feeling isn’t  really mutual. He can’t blame them too much. His outward appearance alone can be a bit intimidating to a child with his towering height and his voice deep enough to have once caused his nephew to cry. His sister Yura had only laughed at his pitiful face, not caring in the least he that he had just been rejected by a one year old.

 

With that horrible memory on his mind, Chanyeol hopes to appear as friendly as possible. He tones done his smile which some have called manic. He strongly disagrees but he would like to avoid seeing another kid cry because of him so he can’t be too careful.

 

“Hello,” Chanyeol, says in a quiet voice, smiling gently when she seems a little spooked. “I’m Chanyeol.”

 

“Jaera.” Is the almost silent reply he gets, before she’s curling up into her chair to hide herself. He still counts it as a win though because now he knows her name.Most kids are already shying away from him once they hear him speak.

 

This time he attempts a timid wave that earns him no reaction at all. Instead the girl, Jaera,continues to blankly stare at him, which only makes him feel self-conscious in his efforts to interact with a child.

 

Chanyeol has never been the kind of guy to give up easily though. He will get this child to laugh or at least smile if it’s the last thing he does.This calls for him to bring out the big guns. The big guns which happen to be his arsenal of silly faces. Chanyeol is a self proclaimed master of the art of making his face change into the weirdest expressions. He has a numerous amount of selfies on his phone that prove it.

 

Now that he’s fired up, Chanyeol goes with his typical puffed out cheeks and wide eyed look. The results are instant as the little girl lets out a peal of tinkling giggles. Her eyes scrunch up into cute little crescents that has Chanyeol dying from how adorable it is. He continues making faces, each sillier than the next. Sometimes Jaera will try copying him and they both break down into a fit of loud uncontrollable giggles that garner hushed ‘shhs’ for the noise.

 

The girl is obviously more comfortable with him compared to how they met in the beginning.Chanyeol feels very proud of himself for managing such a feat.If only Yura could see him now.

 

“Oppa, are you a prince?”

 

Chanyeol gets caught off guard by the unexpected question. Jaera hasn’t said anything other than her name, yet the first thing that comes from her mouth only serves to stroke his already inflated ego. It always feels good to be complimented,even if it is coming from a child.

 

“Do I look like one?” Chanyeol asks, confident grin on display, as he poses with his signature peace sign.

 

“Yes.” She replies, immediately. Her quick response cracks him up. If she keeps flattering him like this, his head is going to get too big. Or at least bigger than normal.

 

Chanyeol releases an exaggerated sigh. “I still need a princess.Do you know any?”

 

Jaera’s eyes light up. “I’m a princess!”

 

“Are you sure?”  He asks teasingly, attempting not to laugh as she pouts up at him.

 

“Daddy says I am.” She protests, a cute whine in her voice. “He even says I can be a queen if I eat _all_  my veggies.”

 

Chanyeol snorts, because if he had a kid he’d make up the same kind of ridiculous lie so he just nods in agreement. “Your daddy is right.”

 

“Daddy’s always right because he’s smart.” Jaera states very proudly. “He can do anything.”

 

“Oh really?”

 

“Yes!” She exclaims, looking eager to share more about her dad. “He can sleep for hours and eat a whole chicken all by himself.”

 

Chanyeol finds the little girl’s compliments of her father to be pretty funny. He’s not quite sure how being able to sleep for long periods of time and gorging out on chicken are related to being smart but he keeps those thoughts to himself as he pretends to be impressed, eyes wide with fascination.

 

“What else is your daddy good at?” He asks, curious about the sleeping figure, who hasn’t moved this entire time. It seems that sleeping skill might be a real thing.

 

“My daddy is Jongin and he reads the bestest bedtime stories and he makes my hair the prettiest,”Jaera says, listing each one off with her tiny fingers. She seems dedicated to naming off all her father’s good points.“Oh! He’s a good dancer. He went to a big big thing to dance and won a really shiny trophy today.”

 

“Wow, your dad sounds so cool.” Chanyeol says, meaning every word. He honestly sounds like a genuinely nice guy. He must be exhausted if he had to participate in what was most likely a competition and then have energy to pick his daughter up to return home. Jaera is a lucky girl to have such a hard working dad.  “Were you able to see him dance?”

 

Jaera frowns. “No. I had to stay with Aunty Joohyun. Daddy said I wasn’t old enough to go yet.”

 

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” Chanyeol replies, in a reassuring tone.

 

Jaera huffs. “It was! I couldn’t see daddy and Rahee wouldn’t share her toys.”

 

“Not the toys.” Chanyeol gasps dramatically. “How could she do that to the princess?”

 

She just nods with her lips pursed together. Chanyeol has gotten used to her giggling and smiling that this new expression rubs him the wrong way. In order to cheer her, up he starts making ridiculous faces again, easily bringing out a couple reluctant laughs from her.

 

Chanyeol is so immersed in his little game of cheering up the small girl that he does not notice the ruffling noise of the sleeping passenger. It’s when he has his eyes crossed and tongue out that he hears Jaera yell out an excited,“Daddy, you’re up!”

 

“I am.” He replies, his voice sounding raspy from sleep.

 

Sure enough, the once sleeping passenger, Jongin, is now awake, his hooded eyes directly focused on Chanyeol. Chanyeol feels his face grow hot with embarrassment, wondering how long the man has been watching him make a total fool of himself .

 

What makes the situation even worse is the guy is stunningly attractive. Earlier, he had been wearing a hoodie that had covered the majority of his face while he slept but now that Chanyeol has a clear view of him he can’t help being a tiny bit starstruck.

 

From his sharp features to his lightly tanned skin and messy brown locks, Chanyeol is pretty certain the guy across from him has to be a model. There is absolutely no way someone this good looking should be allowed to even exist. It just isn’t fair.Too busy gawking, it takes Chanyeol a moment to process that this young looking statuesque man is actually a father.

 

“You must be Jaera’s dad, Jongin.” Chanyeol says finally getting the nerve to speak up. He hopes Jongin didn’t hear the slight crack in his voice towards the end.

 

Jongin raises an eyebrow but doesn’t mention it. “I am. Jae’s my precious little girl.” His words quickly bringing a complaint from the child.

 

“I’m a big girl.” Jaera whines, before turning to Chanyeol, “Right, oppa?”

 

Chanyeol is so tempted to squish her chubby cheeks as she waits expectantly for his answer. She’s not even trying but she still manages to be cute.

 

“Of course you are.” He replies as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. He stretches his hand out towards her in a high five, laughing at the massive size difference of Jaera’s tinier hand against his.

 

Jongin had been silently watching the interaction with an unreadable expression that makes Chanyeol want to squirm in his seat.He understands though. He is a stranger after all and Jongin is probably wary of some random guy interacting with his daughter.

 

“Daddy?”

 

The man briefly pauses his intense scrutinizing of Chanyeol before focusing on his daughter. He smiles down at her as she sits herself in his lap. “Did you make a new friend Jae?”

 

“I did!” She says proudly. “Chanyeol oppa played with me the _whole_ time. Isn’t he handsome like a prince, daddy?”

 

“Yes, Chanyeol oppa is very handsome.” The man says,appearing more relaxed with a devilish smirk that leaves Chanyeol feeling flustered all over again. His voice is deep, not as deep as his own, but it still has him internally swooning. Kyungsoo would be laughing his ass off so hard if he could witness him acting like this.

 

“Th-thanks,”Chanyeol stutters, mentally scolding himself for sounding so nervous. He’s Park Chanyeol, dammit.Compliments like this shouldn’t faze him. Jongin just might be an exception.

 

“No problem.” Jongin replies, quietly laughing. “I would like to thank you for keeping Jaera company. I know she can be a handful.”

 

Chanyeol simply waves him off. “Nah, she’s a good kid. If anything, she’s the one that kept me entertained.”

 

Jaera beams up at him, seemingly pleased with his words. Jongin continues, “Still, I’d like to thank you properly. Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?”

 

“Only if Jaera agrees.” Chanyeol says, grinning impishly at the other man. He’s starting to feel more like himself again now that he’s gotten used to being in Jongin’s presence.

 

“What do you say Jae?” He asks, smiling down at the little girl.

 

Jaera actually looks as if she thinking about it way her brow furrows in concentration. “Fine, but you have to share Chanyeol oppa if you start dating. I found him first.”

 

Chanyeol sputters incoherent sounds at the comment but it’s not as  outrageous as Jongin’s reply though.

 

“Deal.” The deadly smirk is back causing Chanyeol to gulp quite loudly. Jongin laughs, a loud obnoxious sound in response which is a major change from his flirtatious behavior from before. Chanyeol finds it endearing though.

 

Both men agree to meet up later in the week, exchanging phone numbers before they have to get off the train. Coincidentally, they get off at the same stop. Jaera is more than thrilled about this grasping each of the adults hands.

 

Chanyeol is too weak by little girl’s charms to decline the action, even if he has to bend down a little because of his height. They’re just walking when a random stranger approaches them.

 

“You all make a lovely family!” She says, before leaving just as quickly as she came.

Chanyeol blushes and is happy to see Jongin equally as embarrassed. They may not be a family now but they might be someday.

 


End file.
